Legends of Remnant
by CenturionAfricanus
Summary: Complete world meld. As a new year starts at Beacon Academy, the 20 new students entering its halls are in for the adventure of a lifetime, and a chance to forge their legends. Each from a different background and each with their own story, they all prepare to face the creatures of Grimm, and uncover the secrets of the world. No certain pairings yet, will take a while to update.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own RWBY or LoL**

**Lesser Vale City, also known as Zaun**

Vi, professional huntress and peacekeeper of the lawless half of Vale's capital city of Vale, often referred to as Zaun or Lesser Vale, could only sigh as she stared across the interrogation table. Cuffed to that table was the single most destructive individual she had ever met, including the countless grimm she had killed in her time.

Her sister Jinx truly was a menace.

"Can you repeat for me why exactly you thought it would be a good idea to blow up that restaurant." Vi asked, desperately wishing one of her teammates could handle her sister instead of her, but no. Family issue they called it.

"Well Fat Hands, one of their waiters was getting a little handsy, which I did not appreciate, so I told him to kindly to back off, and when he didn't, I let Fishbones continue the negotiations." Jinx replied, using an accent close to Caitlyn's in an attempt to sound smarter, making wild hand motions as she told her tale.

"So one of the waiters assaulted you, and you defended yourself." Vi asked, hoping beyond hope that maybe Jinx had an actual defense this time around.

"Yeah, he tried to take Fishbones and Pow-pow from me, so I let him have it!" Jinx agreed, nodding rapidly, making her long twin braids whip about.

"Did he ask you not to bring large, loaded weapons into the restaurant before this." Vi asked, her head almost hitting the table in frustration, of course Jinx would bring her rocket launcher and minigun to go eat.

"Maaaaaaaaaaybe, I wasn't really listening to him until he tried to take Pow-pow, I was talking with Fishbones about what we should order. I wanted a burger, but Fishbones had his heart set on a soup and salad." Another answer Vi should have expected, because according to her sister, her weapons could talk to her... all of them…

"You can't keep doing this Jinx, you're 17 now, I can't protect you forever." Vi groaned, trying to get through to her sister for the millionth time.

"What can't I do, I didn't do anything, you have no evidence!"

"You were caught on camera, again, and you spray painted the rubble with your name, again." Vi deadpanned, before flipping once again through the notes in front of her.

"No one suffered any long term injury, which is good at least, Miss Loose Cannon of Zaun, and as much as I hate to say it, it was a faunus run and owned shop so there won't be any pressure from above to make you serve a sentence, but there will be damage payments, which will have to come out of MY paycheck, AGAIN." Vi continued, fully aware Jinx wasn't listening to her, like always, despite her rising temper. Quickly reigning in her trigger temper with one of many exercises Beacon had beaten into her.

"In three weeks, you're moving out." Vi changed the topic and shocked Jinx into finally paying attention, a spark of focus that was so rare for her sister alight in her eyes.

"But where will I tune up Fishbones if I don't have access to my workshop, or my ammo stockpile, or my collection of broken junk." And there were the puppy dog eyes.

"You will moving out because I signed you up for the combat test for admission to Beacon Academy, as much as you destroy, you are damn good in a fight, and your semblance is terrifying in extended combat, its long since time to point Fishbones and Pow-pow at grimm instead of the city." Vi continued, making sure to appeal to Jinx's love of destruction to get her to go along with the idea long enough for her to forget she'll have classes to go to, and be forced to wear a uniform instead of her usual hot pants and bikini top, both lined with bullets and further covered by belts, that Jinx claimed she wore 'for no reason at all'.

"Oooooohhhhh, that does sound fun, splattering grimm would be more fun than buildings, maybe even people. Oh, and I could get a new buddy for Fishbones and Pow-pow. Hmmmmm, what if I got a gun, that shot...other guns!" Jinx finished with a large grin, her finger lightly tracing one of the cloud tattoos on her right shoulder, now in weapon heaven as she pictured new tools of mass destruction. Vi could only groan and roll her eyes.

"Does that mean you're on board?" Vi asked, this was happening one way or another, but it would be so much easier if Jinx went willingly.

"Bullets! I mean, sure!" Jinx answered with a thumbs up, still off in weapon la-la-land.

Vi could only sigh in muted relief, one more week, then Jinx would be Ozpin's problem. And then she could keep alcohol in the house again without worrying Jinx would get her hands on it. Somehow, a drunk Jinx was even more destructive than the normal one.

**Demacia, second largest city in Vale**

"Luxanna Crownguard, you will not be going to Beacon Academy."

"Really Garen. Mom and Dad already approved, my bags are packed, my application was accepted, I even agreed to wear a set of Crownguard family armor that I don't really need and you are still protesting!"

Luxanna Crownguard, Lux to her friends, protested at her older brother's insistence that she go to Atlas for her huntress education, just like he did.

"Beacon is a good school, but there is no discipline there like in Atlas. Compare the graduates, both myself and my team leader, Winter, are now specialists for Vale and Atlas respectively, and we have only been graduated for a few years, while no Beacon graduate has obtained a high roll in society since Qrow Branwen." Garen responded, his naturally loud voice filling the room.

"Well, maybe that's because Beacon graduates actually go out and fight grimm like huntsmen are supposed to instead of being stuck in a government building all day. And I know you know my fighting style doesn't fit what's taught in Atlas. They emphasize on melee combat and muscle building, I'm a beacon of light. See, beacon, it matches." Lux argued back, her arms crossed over her chest as she refused to back down from her overbearing brother.

"Using a pun as reasoning to go to Beacon doesn't help your case. The Crownguard family is strong, Atlas will foster that strength in you." Garen insisted, stubbornly sticking to his point.

"It might have for you, but I'm not you Garen. You remember Weiss, your teammate's little sister, well she's going to Beacon too, and Winter supports her choice. She knows Weiss isn't her, and just because something worked for her, doesn't mean it will work for her little sister." Lux played her cards well, knowing how much Garen respected his team leader and close friend.

"I am aware of Winter and Weiss's situation, and that the only reason Weiss is going to Beacon is because she passed a test given to her by her father. I know you did the same for our father, but I still must make my opinion known, even if I know it ultimately means nothing." Garen said before exiting the room with grace that seemed out of place on such a large and muscular man.

Lux sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She knew about the Arma Gigas Weiss had to fight, compared to that her own trial was nothing, just a spar with the same brother she had just been arguing with.

She was going to Beacon, it was the right decision for her. Ever since she had discovered her semblance, she knew Beacon was where she would go. Not because of some pun like Garen insisted it was, but because it was a symbol.

Defeating grimm was good and all, a very necessary job, but protecting people, making sure they felt happy and safe, being a beacon of hope that kept the peace, was what Lux wanted to be. The world was far from perfect. From the slums of Lesser Vale, the Ionian and Noxian factions vying for control in Mistral, the White Fang terrorizing Atlas, the rampant criminal activity in Vacuo despite the Triumvirate's best efforts.

The world wasn't perfect, it would never fit that perfect militaristic vision people like Garen and General Ironwood had for it. But it could hope, it could strive for something better. But it needed someone to lead it there, a beacon, a roll Lux was determined to fill herself.

Clenching her fist, a warm glow of light surronded it, Garen's opinion be damned, she was going to Beacon.

**Somewhere in the Vacuo Desert**

A hooded and goggled figure slowly walked across one of the many sand dunes that filled Vacuo. A shoulder bag slung across body, filled with supplies and the results of his latest hunt.

As the figure crested the dune, a port city came into view, less than a mile away. Flexing his gauntlet covered fist, he continued on his way, keeping an eye on the many ships coming and going from the harbor.

Once the figure entered the city, he flipped back the hood of his brown leather jacket and pulled his goggles up past his forehead, revealing light blonde hair and bright blue eyes scanning over the many stalls in the city. Everything from 'magic' jewels to maps of the desert.

"Who needs a map." Ezreal Lymere scoffed as he continued his way through the city, stopping only once to sell a small golden idol from his bag. No historical value compared to most of his collection back home, but an easy way to make a quick buck to further fund his adventures.

Once Ezreal reached the docks, he quickly located the dockmaster to ask for a ship.

"What can I do for you kid." The dockmaster greeted gruffly, barely glancing up from the papers in front of him.

"I'm looking for any boat heading for the Crucible, think you can point me in that direction, I can pay for the ride." Ezreal answered, holding up the cash he had just gotten for the golden idol.

"The Crucible. Why the bloody hell would you WANT to go to the Remnant forsaken Shadow Isle." The dockmaster asked, shock in his voice as he looked up from his work, his attention now fully on Ezreal.

"I'm a treasure hunter, found a pretty good lead, pointed me to the Crucible. Can you imagine it, the glory of finding ruins from a time before the grimm on the one continent currently uninhabited by people, and where there's glory, the girls are always watching." Ezreal finished with a smirk, giving his stack of bills another wave in a blatant attempt to bribe the dockmaster.

"There's a reason why no human lives on that continent kid, they're called the grimm, maybe you've heard of them. Big black armored monsters that exist to tear humanity apart, nature's wrath? Ain't nobody sailing to the Crucible except for the rare hunter team going there for some recon mission or the like, and even then I've only ever seen one come back." the dockmaster told Ezreal, which brought a frown to his face.

In his time wandering the Northern deserts of Vacuo, the Southern Jungle of Ixtal, scouring the Eastern plains of Vale, and sulking through the Western docks of Bilgewater, Ezreal had learned many things in his exploration of the continent, things long forgotten. Prime among those was the true nature of the grimm.

They weren't 'nature's wrath', they weren't the world fighting back against humanity. They were different, they were alien. Ezreal flexed his gauntlet covered hand thinking it over. How much simpler it would be for him if the grimm truly were born of the world's aura. Then he could beat them without ever breaking a sweat, treasure hunting would be easy. But no, grimm were the opposite, the antithesis to all life, even Remnant itself.

"So the only way I'm getting to Crucible is by being on a hunter team huh?" Ezreal asked, getting a nod from the dockmaster.

Well, that was an option, the clear front runner. But if he was going to become a huntsman, he was going to do it right.

Big four academy, anything less would just be utterly boring. Couldn't go to Atlas, no one there would understand his flair, and they'd probably make him cut his hair. Shade too was out, as a treasure hunter, the best in the business he'd say, the Vacuo government wasn't overly fond of him. He'd been run out of the capital city of Shurima three times now.

Mistral and Haven academy could be interesting, a whole new continent for him to explore, but the political situation there was damn near at an exploding point between the Noxian and Ionian factions. And a war was the last place Ezreal wanted to be caught. Which left one option.

Beacon Academy. Returning to his home city of Greater Vale might be a little boring because of the lack of new things to explore, it certainly beat out the other options. The combat test was only two weeks away if he remembered correctly, a walk in the park for an adventurer like him.

And he could even mess with his uncle, the old curmudgeon was probably still working at Beacon.

"So, can you point me to the nearest boat heading for Greater Vale?" Ezreal asked the dockmaster, once again holding out the money.

"Cargo ship at dock three. I take it I'll see you back here in a few years, probably with a team?" the dockmaster asked, trading some of the money for a ticket to the ship.

"Count on it." And with that, Ezreal was on his way, pocketing what was left of his earnings.

Ever since his first hunt six years ago, the one where he'd found his gauntlet, all he'd found were more and more questions. Something about the grimm, about Remnant, didn't add up, and Crucible held the answers. He was going to find the truth of Remnant, the truth that was hidden in the past, the truth his parents died to find.

And the first step lie at Beacon Academy.

**Outskirts of Demacia**

Just outside Demacia proper lay a large compound. Simple housing surronded by arenas meant for training. Since the city had been founded, a single clan had lived on these lands, and had watched over one of the oldest weapons known to Remnant. They had even traded in their original clan name for a title. The Hammer clan were a hardy and powerful folk, and they had not abandoned their mission since Demacia's inception.

At the largest of the many training grounds stood a solitary figure, only a little taller than four feet in height, panting lightly, a small bronze buckler shield held in her grasp, and a group of sandbag training dummies lay demolished across the field in front of her.

"Well done daughter, you have progressed immensely since I last saw you practice with your little shield." a man with flaxen blonde hair said to the shorter girl, whose hair of the same color was pulled up in two high ponytails almost like horns, the rest falling slightly and framing her face. Both figures had long sharp ears, evidence of a faunus heritage somewhere in their lineage. While the father had deep tan skin, his daughter was paler, and her skin held a tinge that was almost a light blue, a side effect of her semblance. While their eyes were blue and purple respectively, the daughter's purple eyes held more life to them, as well as a wide slit for a pupil, somewhere between a cat's eyes and a normal pupil.

"Thank you father. I have been accepted by Beacon Academy as you know, and I aim to fight well there, among the best." the daughter responded, placing her buckler into its sheath on her hip, rolling her shoulders under the heavy plate she wore while training. Both parent and child knew Beacon had accepted her in a heartbeat, her combat school records were flawless, and their clan had always been welcome within the halls of Beacon Academy.

"Speaking of Beacon Poppy, your journey is about to begin, and you know what that means, the passing of the torch, or in our case the hammer." The man joked with a laugh and Poppy rolled her eyes at her father's poor sense of humor.

"I am ready for the responsibility, and I will succeed where our ancestors failed, I will find the hero." Poppy insisted, drawing a loving smile from her father.

"I said the same when my father passed the hammer to me as well, and I still hope to live to meet the hero myself, but I have long suspected that there is more to our search than any of our clan first thought, maybe you will be the one to find the answer."He answered his daughter, ruffling her sweaty hair with one hand and reaching to his back with the other, drawing the massive hammer he wore on his back and setting it head down in front of Poppy, whose eyes traced the massive weapon with gentle eyes.

This was the weapon that had been passed down through their clan since the first leader of Demacia had given it to them to guard. The man her father was named after and whose name also belonged to the weapon. The Hammer of Orlon, the weapon of the Hero prophesied to rid the city of Demacia and it's land of Grimm forever.

The hammer's shaft was split into two portions, a well worn leather grip near the base and a sturdy metal connecting that grip to the hammerhead itself. The hammer head was made of stone, with the same metal as the handle gripping the stone on two sides. Despite many years of use, fighting both criminals and grimm, the hammer bore not even a scratch. The stone was weathered and smooth to the touch, but the flat edges promised broken bones with every powerful swing.

Poppy lifted the weapon for the first time, her long trained strength put to good use as she lifted the five foot hammer over her four foot frame.

"She will defend you on your journey, just as you defend her." Orlon said, watching his daughter lift the weapon he had wielded since he was seventeen, whether he was talking to the hammer or his daughter even he didn't know.

And as though it were responding to it's ally for many years, the Hammer gave a soft pulse of light and aura that went unnoticed by the father daughter duo as both girl and hammer prepares for lie ahead, one for the first time, the other ready for yet another adventure at Beacon Academy.

**Kinkou Temple, Ionian territory, Mistral**

This, Akali decided, was not what her training was for, the reason she put her body and aura under constant stress to grow. She was NOT some common bodyguard, nor was she a tool for 'peace'.

Impartiality, passive judgement, and pruning the tree. The three edicts she had been taught since child had seemingly lost their meaning when Master Shen, the Eye of Twilight himself gave the order.

"From this day forth, the Kinkou order will support the Ionian faction against the Noxians. We must oppose their pointless bloodshed, and so, I place our services in the hands of faction leader Karma, in hopes that she lead us to a brighter future."

The statement itself was not one that Akali held issue with, she had long been of the belief that the Kinkou order should help in the stand against the Noxian faction, she had even encouraged Master Shen to join the fight against them.

Her issue lay in how Shen joined the Ionian faction, by lowering himself, and the entire order, to the whims of faction leader Karma, whose most drastic action taken against the bloody Noxians was to champion a pair of tournament fighters, and neither held perfect victory against the Blood Brothers of Noxus.

Despite all that Noxus did, draft children into their bloody training, the execution of criminals in public displays of cruelty, all the Ionians did was talk and pursue elongated, shaky peace.

That was not the route Akali wished to take, and it was not the route she was going to take. Noxus was a sickness to Mistral, almost as much as the grim themselves. They worshipped bloodshed in combat, both with people and with grimm, their tyrant leader ruled with an iron fist, and Karma's response was to sit back and do nothing as people suffered because they lacked the 'strength' that was so prized in the Noxus half of Mistral.

It was no wonder so many from this country left for their schooling, even places like Haven Academy had become battlegrounds for the two factions. Noxus always the aggressor, and Ionia always the one who struck back.

Enough was enough. Akali was going to take action, regardless of what Shen had preached for so long. She was going to prune the tree.

"I have had enough Master Shen, your refusal to take action was bad enough, but to prostrate the entire order to the whims of a woman like Karma, who refuses to answer all but the greatest of actions taken against Ionia and against life itself. No more, let us take action, real action, I ask this of you only once." Akali stated loudly to her master in the courtyard of Kinkou temple as Shen meditated. As always a large crowd had gathered simply to be near the master, and that large crowd was now focused on her, some in support, others in admonishment.

Shen didn't respond quickly, not that Akali expected him too. Shen was a man to make long drawn out responses. Waiting for him to answer to the best of his ability after long meditation was not uncommon. Akali was prepared to wait all day if-

"No."

Shen's answer shocked many, for its brevity more than its conclusion.

Akali growled beneath her mask as Shen slowly rose from his meditative position, his face completely covered by his mask, but his glowing eyes were unrelenting in their gaze upon Akali.

"You seek a fight too eagerly Akali, for the one who now bears the title of our temple's Fist of Shadow. You must find balance in our current situation. I urge you to meditate and come to a firm resolution within your own mind, you speak much as Zed once did." Shen's words were delivered in monotone, but held more meaning than they first appeared.

He was calling her out, the youngest to ever hold the title of Fist of Shadow, the most skilled in the temple. He was calling her judgement, her balance, into question. And he was comparing her to the order's greatest traitor Zed, who had murdered the previous master, Shen's father, and founded his own order, one far more aggressive than the Kinkou.

Akali remembered that night, and had to withhold the shudder that wracked her body, she may desire conflict, but she was not like that monster.

"I have meditated long on this Shen. I have found my balance, and it calls for me to act, Each month, more and more pilgrims pass through, seeking escape from the Noxian faction, those who steal children from their parents, those who kill for sport, then rationalize it as survival of the fittest. Prune your tree Shen, I'm going to go pull some weeds."

As Akali turned to leave, Shen's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I know of your plans Akali, and Haven will not accept you. Professor Lionheart is a close friend of mine, and I will not allow you to throw away the balance you have found and maintained over your lifetime of training."

"Then I will find another way, as you taught Shen, this is my path, the path I invite any who desire true balance to follow. Noxus is a plague, one I cannot see exist without taking action any longer. The Fist of Shadow was my mother. I do things differently. I will be a huntress, and I will protect the balance, this I swear."

And with her piece spoken, Akali left the Kinkou temple, left behind the master who had taught her since she was 5, left the mother who passed on her title to her. Left the grave marker she had made for her father because the order refused to after he was declared dead after Zed led his strike against the Kinkou.

Akali left with her head held high and a purpose to guide her, much like the mighty dragon tattooed to her back, a legend told to her many times by her father as a child, her only true memory of the man called Tahno.

Beacon Academy still had a week until their combat trial, and it would be easy to get there in time, her first step to restoring the imbalance she saw in the world.

**Western Tip of Mistral, Ionian land**

"Though we stand at the crossroads, our paths do not cross, though we sit and rest, our hearts are weary."

Taliyah could only groan as her teacher once again tried his hand at waxing poetry. Though he was skilled in a great many fields, Taliyah had seen him put his foot in his mouth on countless occasions, usually when trying to slip past guards.

Granted, she wasn't much better, all things considered, rarely did she say anything to improve the situation. Like master like student.

"Once again master, your words simply tie you in circles, you sound like how one of my weavings looks." Taliyah shot back, drawing a soft laugh from Yasuo, the man who had saved her from being a Noxian child soldier, the man who had taught her to wield her powerful semblance without harming others unintentionally.

To Taliyah, Yasuo was the father she wished she had been born too, not a man who would sell his own daughter to Noxus and ship her to another continent.

"Well, speaking has never been my greatest talent." Yasou replied, drawing a small tea set from his bag, quickly going about to make a pot for them to share. This was one of the many peculiarities Taliyah had picked up from her master, and one of the few she knew wasn't a bad habit. Everytime they stopped on their journey, teacher and student would share a cup of tea, and discuss the nature of things, and where they would wander too next.

It was a time Taliyah had always looked forward too.

"You have grown all these years Tali, you are no longer the small child who clung to me at every cold breeze."

"Of course master, I was from Vacuo, I hadn't adapted to the climate of Mistral yet, I was always freezing." Taliyah responded, rolling her eyes and holding out her soft earthen cup for Yasuo to pour her some tea.

"That's true I suppose." Here the mna paused to take a sip of his own cup, relishing in the flavor of his own make. "Once again, I can confirm, tea making is another talent that evades me."

Here Taliyah didn't even try to stifle a giggle as she watched her master's lips twist at the flavor of his own tea. Taliyah had grown to enjoy Yasuo's strong and bitter tea, it's earthy tones one of the few reminders of her first home, of the cresting dunes and cliff peaks at the edge of the seemingly endless sand. Although there were few pleasant memories of the place, she would always cherish her memories of the desert itself, of the land and how it spoke to her, even before her aura had been unlocked.

"But tea aside, we have wandered here for a reason, and as I said before, we lay at a crossroads." Yasuo's tone was serious, lacking the usual airiness that he wore like armor. "You are strong Tali, you can do so much for the world with that strength, things you can't do by wandering with me." And there was the blow, Taliyah had known it was coming soon, each year, Yasuo would try to convince her to set out on her own, that he had nothing left to teach her, that she could not grow by depending on him. A notion that was ridiculous to Taliyah, but before she could again voice these thoughts, Yasuo stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"I know your protests Tali, but first listen, then decide." Taliyah only nodded at her master's insistence. Yasuo reached into his well worn shirt and pulled from over his head the necklace Taliyah had seen him wearing since the day they had first met. It was a simple chain, worn and sturdy. The charm attached at the center wasn't metal, but rather a single maple seed.

"In the sword temple where I first learned, the gifting of a maple seed was the highest lesson in humility that could be offered. It was a sign that no matter what you thought you were, you were still but a simple seed, waiting to grow into what you truly can become. My brother gave me this seed when we were both students. My arrogance had gone to my head, and though he tried, his gift did not reach me. My arrogance led to both his death and my master's. It was only then that I learned the lesson meant to be taught by this little seed."

Taliyah knew her master's story, his innocence and pain. He had first told her when she was 13, his first attempt to convince her to leave him, but all it had done was harden Taliyah's stony resolve to stay with her master, because she now knew that no matter how much she needed him, he needed her, a friendly face to cherish and a voice to answer back his many musings. An anchor in his windswept world.

"I now pass this seed onto you, not as a lesson in humility, but rather one of acceptance. It is time for you to move on Taliyah. I will always be here wandering, even if I were to be cleared of all charges this very moment, I would continue to wander as I do now. This is the life I have chosen for myself, and one I wish to continue, but this isn't the life for you. You dislike combat, but you wish to help others. You know restraint that many in our world don't. You would make a fantastic huntress, a team leader I'd bet, but you can't do that here, please Tali, take the next step."

The emotion in Yasuo's words told Taliyah he thought the idea of leaving her as repugnant as she did, but he did make a point. She did wish to help others, in every village they passed through, Taliyah would help the women treat illnesses, would act as a midwife, for both people and livestock. She would join men in hunting for game, and would defend the village people against the creatures of grimm. And she could do more as a huntress.

Carefully taking the necklace from Yasuo's outstretched hand, Taliyah carefully pulled it over her own head, feeling the maple seed rest on her chest. Running her fingers over her new acquisition, Taliyah nodded to Yasuo, her unspoken agreement to move on, to find a place to help others, a place to grow into a huntress.

She knew she wouldn't be returning to Vacuo, as much as she enjoyed the land, the memories there were unpleasant. Atlas was also out. Far too cold for Taliyah's liking, not to mention that militaristic Atlas academy wouldn't have the tools to properly teach a dust enchantress such as herself. Haven was an option, but Taliyah held great dislike for both factions, bloody Noxians and 'justified' Ionians both. Which left one option.

"Beacon Academy, in Vale." Taliyah said, finishing her tea.

"Yes, I thought that might be your choice." Yasuo said with a chuckle, finishing his own tea with a grimace. "Which is why we are here. To the north lies a port town, with a ship leaving for Greater Vale tonight, and I just happen to have a ticket for it here." Yasuo said with an easy smirk, holding up the stub of paper that would allow Taliyah to cross the ocean to Vale.

"A crossroads after all huh." Taliyah joked taking the piece of paper from her teacher, a soft laugh echoing from her lips.

"You've been a good companion on my journey Tali, but yours is just beginning. And just as the sky meets the earth, so to shall we meet again." Yasuo smirked and Taliyah laughed.

"You can count on that old man, I'm going to beat you in a spar one of these days, bring you back down to earth." Taliyah said with a smirk, rising from her seated position even as Yasuo remained seated, pouring himself a second cup of tea.

"You can try little stone, you can try."

And with that, Taliyah gave a soft tap of her foot on the ground and a shard of earth rose under her feet. "You better not let your negativity attract any more grimm than it already does old man." Taliyah called as her stone shard quickly carried her north and away from her teacher.

"And you better not get pickpocketed, again!" Yasuo's voice carried over the wind as the teacher and student separated for the first time in 12 years. Both using the wind to hide their tears.

"Do me proud Taliyah, you've got a long road ahead of you, and if that doesn't suit you, you can always make your own." Yasuo said with a chuckle, getting up slowly and repacking his tea set and heading the same direction Taliyah just left in. By the time he arrived though, she would be long gone.

And for the first time in 12 years, Yasuo the Wanderer got absolutely plastered. It wasn't right for one to force their daughter to drag their drunken ass home after all.

**Order of Shadow Compound, Ionian territory, Mistral**

Strength came from mastering oneself, this was what had always been taught to Shieda Kayn, and up to this point he thought he had mastered himself completely. From the first moment a Noxian had tossed him into an arena, shoved an old farm scythe into his hands, and told him to survive, he had been the weapon that had killed that day.

He was the weapon that Master Zed found and took in as a son, and he was the one who would go on to master not only his semblance, but every weapon available within the Order of Shadow.

And it was the arrogance of these successes that led to his downfall, the deceptively simple weapon in his hands sending waves of pain through his body, yet only silent screams were released.

Slowly, like a wild beast awakening for the first time, the eye at the head of the scythe Kayn had found locked in the deepest dungeon of the Order vault, opened.

_It has been so long since I have feasted, and what a feast you shall be boy_

A twisted and ancient voice rang through Kayn's head and confirmed his suspicion of what this weapon was, one of the ancient three, one of the Darkin.

_So you've heard of us boy, good, then you know the abyss that awaits you, and the blood shed I shall unleash because of your folly._

Kayn felt his left arm begin to burn as his skin melted off his flesh, and flesh rotted off his bones. In their place grew a stronger muscle, a harder skin.

Kayn heard the darkin grimm within the scythe laughing as he felt the corruption finish with his arm and begin to spread into his head and torso.

"NO! I WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED BY A TOOL! YOU ARE NOT A WEAPON DARKIN, YOU ARE MY TOOL, AND I WILL WIELD YOU!"

With a cry of rebellion tinged with arrogance, Kayn slammed the full force of his aura and semblance into fighting the corruption spreading throughout his body. The sheer power of the darkin blade nearly overwhelming both his mind and soul. But Kayn held strong.

"This power will be mine, you say you will corrupt me, but you are a means to an end, you are a tool." Kayn's aura was holding back the corruption, but it was his semblance that did the real work. Among all the members of the Order of Shadows, his was the semblance that made him most fit to be an assassin, a weapon. And it was why he KNEW he could control this tool.

_Your will is strong boy, but I have waited centuries to be free, what's a little longer. _

The darkin was confident, good, overconfidence was a weakness, one Kayn just took a large lesson in. Even as he thought that, he felt the pressure from the blade lessen, the sickly red glow diminishing to barely a light coming from the single eye at the heart of the scythe.

"You say you have time, but it is you who will fall to me, both of us are racing against the other, your strength versus my will, I wonder which will win." Kayn said smugly, feeling the power his semblance had absorbed from the blade. Unseen by him, a strand of his hair glowed a light blue, the stolen energy filling his body.

_We shall see boy, we shall see._

Now that Kayn had a moment to collect his thoughts, he knew he could no longer stay with the Order, with his Master Zed. He had broken into the deepest of vaults and potentially endangered all of Remnant by awakening one of the ancient Darkin. Grimm so old they evolved and developed their own aura, their own abilities. It took dozens of trained huntsmen to even match a single darkin, and any grim nearing the age was targeted without extreme prejudice.

There was a reason why Crucible was uninhabitable for humans, for too long grimm were allowed to remain there, and darkin formed.

Only three darkin were known to exist off of Crucible, the three ancient weapons. The blade, the bow, and the one he now held in his hands, the scythe.

Once geist grimm, they aged to the point where they truly became the items they possessed, and from those items, could possess the weapon's wielders to gain a true form for themselves.

_Very good boy, your master has taught you well, but you still underestimate my power._

"Silence tool, you are mine, I will consume your strength and prove my own." Kayn scoffed, examining his body now that the pain from the corruption had ceased.

His left arm, once the epitome of human strength, had been remade. His flech a sickly maroon and partially exposed. His skin was now a dull turquoise, and harder than armor. The corruption stopped at his shoulder, but he would need to hide his condition if he were to go out in public.

A simple wrap of bandages would do, to cover both his arm and the eye of the scythe. His time for training was over, his time to struggle was to begin. He was going to prove his existence to the world. He was going the slaughter the grimm, the white fang, and the Noxians. Their blood would coat his balde.

_Good boy, let their blood flow and strengthen me. The undoing draws near._

"Yes, yours." Kayn replied simply, picking up the darkin blade and dropping it into his shadow, keeping it out of sight, and ready to be drawn at a moments notice. It wouldn't do for someone to recognize the ancient blade as he made his was to Vale. Beacon Academy was touted as the strongest of the four great huntsman schools, and he would accept no less than the best. He had even heard one of the dueling champions had declined the invitation to Haven in favor of Beacon. That would be a fight to enjoy, the blood to spill….

No, not blood, these thoughts weren't his. Shieda Kayn knew his own mind, and he was not a mad butcher, he was an assassin, if he were to fight, it would end in a single blow. These thoughts, this blood lust, they were darkin's.

_You truly are perceptive boy. It might just be fun to break you after all. For providing me entertainment, I shall give you the name of your future master, I am Rhaast._

Kayn gave a smirk as he left the vault, the cool wind flowing off the nearby ocean passing through his long braided hair. Finally this darkin was taking him seriously.

Good. Kayn didn't want the road to strength to be too easy.

**Zaun slums, Lesser Vale city**

While he might appreciate and enjoy spending time with his friends and fellow rebels, Ekko was also an individual who cherished his alone time.

So when walking into his workshop's inner sanctum after a long night of scrapyard raiding, the last thing he expected to see was a tall man sitting in his chair, taking a nap.

Slowly raising his blade, Ekko prepared to strike the man, to get him out, when one of his eyes opened and a smirk formed on his face.

"Found you."

That was enough to unnerve Ekko, his off hand straying to the ripcord on his Zero Drive, ready to start his greatest accomplishment at a moments notice.

"No need for that, not here for any nasty business like most would be, I just got a few questions for you." the man said in a drawl, his red eyes flicking over Ekko's tensed form.

"Then ask them." Ekko responded curtly, activating his semblance as discreetly as he could, letting his dark eyes glow softly and almost unnoticeably. He could feel it, this was an opponent he would need every advantage against if they came to blows.

"There's been rumors going on for years now, about a certain Zaun gangs that acts wildly different from the other gangs. They never graft tech onto themselves, they never dope on chem drugs, they never start fights, they mostly steal from scrap yards, and they have never had a member captured." The man said, still relaxed in Ekko's old recliner that he'd fished from a dump.

"They sound like small business, nothing a huntsman should be getting worried over." Ekko responded, keeping his face neutral. A bark of laughter was his response.

"That is what it sounds like, but there's two small details I forgot to mention. One, every member of the group are children. And two, while they never start fights, they always finish them, and only their leader ever fights. That sounds like a dangerous individual that requires attention, doesn't it." the huntsman answered, his arms stretched above his head as he casually got up from his seat. His weapon now in view strapped to his back, tucked under a worn cloak.

"And what does all that have to do with you here in my workshop." Ekko challenged, already knowing the answer, he had told his friends that leaving his mark behind would bite them in the ass, but they had scoffed and said it was long since time he left his mark on the world, almost like his parents said of him.

"We both already know the answer to that, the real question now is what happens ne-..." As the huntsman began to speak, Ekko quickly cut him off by leaping forward, pulling the ripcord on his Zero Drive as he went, locking in the dimensions of the paradox to the workshop only, and swung his glowing blade at the huntsman's ribcage.

With a practiced draw and flick, his opponent's weapon elongated into a sword and blocked the attack.

"You're gonna have to-..." Once again Ekko's attacks cut the man's speech off, knowing his opening blow would be a failure, he flickered forward in a series of 'randomized' movements to throw the huntsman off his back, preventing a large number of well practiced counter strikes Ekko already knew the man had ready, he could see them.

What Ekko didn't expect though, was to trip on a loose blueprint he had left on a workbench when he landed on it, causing him to slip and the huntsman to pounce at the opportunity with his sword.

Before the strike landed, Ekko quickly hit the switch on his dominant hand and, suddenly, he was charging the man again, who was just rising from his chair.

This time, Ekko aimed his strike at his opponent's dominant arm, preventing him from drawing his weapon as smoothly as usual, jarring his shoulder as the gravity dust enhanced blow struck against the man's aura.

Quickly darting backwards the man rolled his shoulder as his weapon elongated once again. "You're gonna have to-..." he started to say when Ekko once again dashed forward, falling into a duck and roll, his bat primed to swing at the man's knee caps, when his glove caught on a piece of loose scrap metal that was scattered around his workshop, an opportunity his opponent jumped to capitalize on.

Only for the two to return to their starting position.

It took three more resets for Ekko to realize that the 'bad luck' he had been having with his usually flawless maneuvers were actually the work of his opponent.

It took another four for Ekko to realize this wasn't a fight he could win, not with his current ability level, no matter how many tries he had, the man's semblance was too unpredictable. He could perform the same maneuver a hundred times, and it would protect him differently every time.

From there it only took two resets to get the man to start bantering. Another five after that to get his purpose for being there.

And after the 17th reset, Ekko flicked the hidden switch on his other glove to end the paradox. His Zero Drive's soft whirring quieting to barely a hum.

"...what happens next." The huntsman, now revealed to Ekko as Qrow Branwen, one of the specialists of Vale, finally finished his sentence.

"Well, I know I can't beat you Qrow Branwen, the Scareqrow, specialist of Vale and scythe user, but I won't allow you to go after my friends, the Lost Children of Zaun need to remain that. Lost. But I am unsure how you plan to get me into Beacon. I don't have records from a combat school and the combat test was two days ago, not to mention, I'm two years too young to apply."

Qrow Branwen blinked, his hand falling away from his weapon as a thin smirk formed across his face. "So the rumors are true then, the reason behind the symbol, the leader of the Lost Children has never lost a fight, he does the impossible on his first try every time. You don't lose fight because you choose not to fight the ones you can't win."

"To be fair, you're only the second person to force me to choose not to fight." Ekko sniped back, weapons relaxed, but body still tense.

"Ekko, son of two 'true Zaunites' who chose to rid themselves of a family identity and embrace individuality, noted above genius level intellect in the one year you spent to finish all basic required schooling. Leader of the Lost Children of Zaun, the only noted peaceful gang of Lesser Vale, and most famously, the Boy-Who-Shattered-Time." Qrow finished, eyeing Ekko's Zero Drive with unmasked curiosity.

"A title I had thought I had kept my face away from." Ekko said with a sigh.

"Those who are more than others always rise to the top, no matter how they try to hide it. While most are after your persona because they think you have created time travel tech, I think it's your semblance, and tech has nothing to do with it. How many times did you fight me before you called it quits?"

"Seventeen, although I knew I couldn't win after nine." Ekko admitted, letting his guard fall even further. While Qrow Branwen was a formidable man, he was also kind, unlike many others who frequented the streets of Zaun, revealing a few things to him wouldn't hurt in the long run.

"More than I thought. Obviously there are restrictions, but I'm not here about that. I'm here to get you off the streets and into Beacon, which you already know. The how is rather simple. Every year, Beacon takes in 20 new first years out of the hundreds of applicants they get. Some based on combat school records, and others based on the combat trials for those who grew up outside the kingdom proper. But every year, at least two of the twenty spots are reserved for students recommended by huntsman and huntresses. It doesn't matter their age, all that matters is skill. Some years more than two recommended are let in, some years there's none recommended at all. But I know for a fact only one has been recommended this year and with classes starting in two days, my word will get you through the door."

Qrow's response was clear, and Ekko knew there was a was a catch, there always was.

"Normally I wouldn't bother, but the higher ups feel something is going to happen soon, and having someone like you on the streets is just giving them a target. The plan is to station a few more huntsman under huntress Vi and her team here in Zaun, if you go, I can ensure your friends will be kept safe, without you around, they're just small fries to groups like the White Fang." And there it was, they were scared of what would happen if terrorists could use time to their advantage, and they had sent Qrow to prevent that from happening.

"Alright I'll go, but you're coming home with me to explain to my parents why I won't be around, and you're not gonna tell them about what I do when they're busy at one of the factories." Ekko countered, holding out his hand to shake with Qrow.

"Deal kid, but if you want to stay hidden, either don't put your symbol around, or don't tattoo it to your face." Qrow said with a laugh returning handshake with a lazy hand.

Ekko could only groan and roll his eyes. He told her a tattoo was a bad idea, but did she ever care, nope, not at all.

She was right about one thing at least, tattoos were very good at hiding scars.

Ekko rolled his shoulders as he led Qrow out of his workshop, the man following with hunched shoulders and hands deep in his pockets. At least his parents would be proud, they had always wanted the best for him, knew he was destined to make something of himself in this world. Ekko had never shared that vision, but maybe, just maybe, his image of himself and his parent's would align, and he might be able to do a little good in the world by going to Beacon.

Only time would tell.

**Just another story idea I had knocking around in my head. I've got a bunch of stuff like this where only one or two chapters is written before my focus shifted elsewhere. And I've decided it's doing nothing for me just sitting in a google drive folder. So throwing my ideas out to sink and swim here we go. **

**I completely melded Remnant and Runeterra, which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I even found a map of Remnant online and drew all over it with labels for what areas are what in relation to the League of Legends world. I've got ideas for where a lot of different League champions will fit in, but any ideas that are thrown my way in a review will be considered. **

**I know there weren't many RWBY characters in this chapter, but these 8 will be melded with the RWBY world in the next chapter, in theory at least. As far as power scaling goes, I've been translating the league champions into RWBY power levels, which is harder than you'd think, but it's working so far.**

**Probably will be a month before I update this again. Magical Sense is priority 1 at the moment, but that's been fighting me to rewrite. After that comes Trickster, which is coming a lot easier at the moment. Then there's this, which is probably more of a pet project than anything. **

**Happy Reading -Centurion Africanus**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own RWBY or LoL**

**Airship to Beacon Academy**

Ruby Rose was not a normal girl.

It wasn't for a lack of trying, Ruby had just never connected with her peers. Where other 15 year old girls would rather talk about boys, Ruby talked about weapons. Where they complained about combat class at Signal, Ruby had quickly sprung to the top of the class by a large margin. Where they would go shopping at malls for clothing and the like, Ruby would be at home further working on her baby, the sniper-scythe hybrid lovingly named Crescent Rose. While they were having slumber parties, Ruby would be spending the weekend hunting grimm on her home island of Patch or training, both with her Uncle Qrow.

And to cap it all off, instead of starting her second to last year at Signal like all the other girls she knew in her year, Ruby Rose was now on an airship, one of twenty individuals that had been accepted into Beacon Academy that year.

"Oh I'm soooo proud of you little sis, we both get to go to Beacon together!" Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older half-sister couldn't be happier to be going to the greatest combat school on Remnant with her sister, unlike Ruby herself.

"Yeah, it's great Yang, just like you've been saying for the past three days since Ozpin gave me his recommendation. I just feel so out of place here, I mean, I skipped two years ahead, I'm a whole two years younger than everyone else here." Ruby complained as her sister slung her arm over her, pulling her into her.

"Well, not everyone, that guy looks younger than most, he's probably 15 like you, 16 max." Yang said, thumbing at a guy across the airship, sitting near one of the windows. He was clearly from Lesser Vale, his clothing was worn and frayed in places, and wildly mismatched, not to mention the white hourglass tattoo right in the center of his FACE and the almost foot tall mohawk sticking straight up from his head. His hair was a bleached white while his skin was darker than most Vacuans had. He was tinkering with what Ruby thought was a grenade as he hunched over in his seat, his weapons strapped to his back. A large canister glowing a soft green and a blade with no sharp edges glowing the same. Ruby could barely make out the dark purple glow of gravity dust coming from the blade's handle.

"Hey, you might be right, but he kinda looks like a thug.." Ruby trailed off, not sure what to make of the obvious Zaunite. While she wasn't one to judge based on appearance, she had grown up hearing the many dangerous things that went down in the poorer half of Vale city. Her weapon crafting mentor himself had even said that while there might be good people there, Zaun itself corrupted them into pale reflections of themselves.

"True, but I've been down to Zaun before, nothing to really be scared of except for a few crazies like the Plague Rat, the Madman, or the Mad Chemist." Ever the rebel, Yang had been sneaking off to explore both greater and lesser Vale since she was 14. She had even met one of the few who had been granted a title by society. Vi herself, titled the Piltover Enforcer and Yang's longtime idol. She had even based her fighting style on the titled huntress's brawling style.

"If you say so." Ruby muttered, taking a moment to take in the other occupants of the airship. Counting herself and Yang, there were only 17 people in the airship, meaning three students were either late, or had arranged their own passage to Beacon.

In one corner stood three individuals who Ruby thought resembled ninja. The first was a girl in a black bow with a katana strapped to her back. She was wearing mostly white, which somehow matched her paler skin, and her eyes were almost amber in color. She appeared to be reading a book, but Ruby had yet to see her flip a page in the past ten minutes, clearly observing the other passengers instead of reading.

The next was a girl in a green face mask, covering the lower half of her face. Her hair was in a loose ponytail held to the back of her head, making her hair stick up like a fan. She had a pair of kusarigama strapped to her waist, but Ruby could also see the numerous kunai knives hidden on her person and could smell the distinct scent of smoke pellets coming from her direction.

The last…

"Wow, Mama likes." Yang, following Ruby's eyes, had seen the ninja trio herself, and was now staring at the mostly shirtless guy who was leaning against the far wall. Only his left arm was covered by a half mantle and what little Ruby could see under it, his entire arm was wrapped in a black bandage. The sight of his bare muscular chest made Ruby blush and avert her silver eyes even as Yang gave a wolf whistle. While Yang was staring at the boy's 8-pack that was on clear display, Ruby was taking note of the calluses on his right hand. That many and that spread out pointed to a great deal of skill with many weapons, but the most prominent calluses she could see were very familiar to her, they were the same ones she had on her own hands from years of training. This boy was a fellow scythe wielder.

Yang clearly wasn't the only one to notice the attractive shirtless guy, as a blue haired girl sitting on a windowsill with a rocket launcher and minigun propped up on either side of her was almost drooling while staring at him. If Ruby had to guess, she was also from Lesser Vale, given the cloud tattoos on the right half of her body, and the fact that she was dressed in what looked like a bikini customized with ammo. If it wasn't for the fact that she was extremely flat chested, Ruby would have guessed the girl was from one of the weapon magazines she had seen her mentor reading.

Just as obviously, an orange haired girl in a white skirt and top was staring at him while wrapped around the arm of a different boy, who looked used to the antics of his orange haired companion. The boy wore a green shirt of traditional Mistral design and had a pink streak through his black hair that made him look rather feminine to Ruby. The girl's weapon was strapped to her back and looked like a grenade launcher with shifting capabilities while Ruby could barely make out the two small weapons strapped to the boy's sides.

It seemed that the only discrete viewer of the shirtless boy was a heavily tanned girl whose complexion resembled that of a native of Vacuo. She wore a faded red and blue dress and a small metal tiara to hold back a mess of short, bushy, dark brown hair. While she might appear unarmed, Ruby could recognize that the stone worked into her outfit wasn't just for show, and that the lines in her dress were filled with dust. A dust enchantress, earth based if Ruby had to guess. Unlike the Yang and blue and orange haired girls, she was trying to be discreet in her admiration, casually glancing over every so often and looking more at the boy's long braided hair instead of his exposed chest like the others.

While she was a proud weapon fanatic herself, Ruby had always wanted to have greater control over nature's wrath like a dust enchanter. If the dust wasn't in bullets already, she would usually wind up blowing herself up, which Qrow called 'a talent unto itself'. One of the many running jokes between the two of them.

The only girl not staring at the shirtless scythe wielder was shorter than Ruby herself and wielded a weapon larger than even Crescent Rose. The girl had to have faunus heritage, given her almost slit pupils and pointed ears, and her skin was tinged with the faintest of blues . Her hammer though was what caught Ruby's attention more than her unusual appearance. Being the weapon nut she was, Ruby had read up on every famous weapon to ever be wielded, and she knew without a doubt she was looking at the Hammer of Orlon.

The weapon in search of a hero. The Hammer and Orlon, according to folktales, was destined to be wielded by a hero that would drive the grimm off of Demacian lands, and out of the country of Vale entirely. Passed down through the generations of the 'Hammer' clan of Demacia, the family had made it their life's mission to find the hero and present them with the hammer. The only known weapon older was the Sealed Sword, Excalibur, in Mistral and the three darkin blades, all of which were currently hidden from the world. Ruby had to restrain herself from jumping on the girl to examine the famous weapon herself.

The last six occupants of the airship were guys. Four of them were in the opposite corner than the three ninjas, huddled together and speaking in hushed whispers, occasionally looking out at the others, attention focused on the blue haired girl with the rocket launcher, the mohawked Zaunite, and the Hammer of Orlon's wielder. Ruby could already tell that these four were bad news, the sad truth that racism pervaded even famous hunter academies.

The last two were both blondes like Yang. The first stood at the window opposite rocket launcher girl, staring at his reflection and playing with his hair, much like Yang did from time to time. The intricate gauntlet on his hand was clearly his weapon, and Ruby was highly curious as to its capabilities. The design and even the metal it was made of weren't known to her, which wasn't something she would let stand. Aside from the gauntlet, he wore faded jeans and a wind beaten leather jacket lined with blue fur and goggles perched on his forehead. Different from the welder's goggles the mohawk boy worn around his neck, these goggles were meant more for protecting one's eyes from harsh weather.

And the final occupant of the airship…...was airsick and on the verge of throwing up, Ruby could see him rushing to the bathroom, unfortunately the boy wasn't fast enough and Yang didn't notice him, busy staring at the one ninja's abs as she was, and a small amount of vomit fell from the boy's covered mouth and onto one of Yang's boots.

"Ewww" Ruby exclaimed when she noticed, finally tearing Yang's attention away from the guy she was staring at and onto her puke covered boot.

"Get it off get it off get it off." Yang chanted, lifting her foot and almost getting the vomit onto Ruby's red cloak. Ruby managed to back away quickly and push Yang towards the bathroom to clean her boot off.

After a few minutes and Yang had returned, the holographic image of a tall blonde woman appeared near the windows, getting a surprised yelp from the gauntlet wearing blonde who was standing where the hologram appeared and a loud cheer from the girl with the rocket launcher.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon Academy, my name is Glynda Goodwitch."

Here, the hologram was interrupted by an excited cheer from the rocket launcher girl. "Glynda!"

"You 20 are the select few who have risen above the rest, be it through your combat school records, combat demonstration, or through recommendation from a high ranking hunter and huntress, you have all earned your place here." The holographic Glynda Goodwitch continued, either a recording and just skilled at ignoring excited outbursts after years of experience.

"While out world is experiencing an incredible time of peace…" Here the green dressed ninja scoffed and rolled her eyes. A sentiment Ruby could see shared in the eyes of the other two ninja.

"It is your duty as future hunters and huntresses to uphold that peace, and protect the people. You have all shown incredible perseverance and talent to reach this far, and now it is our turn to nurture your natural ability and elevate you to the level of fully fledged hunters and huntresses. The future will one day be in your hands."

And with her piece said, the hologram of Glynda Goodwitch faded away.

"Well, that was both uplifting and kinda awkward." Yang chimed in loudly, her eyes having been torn away from the shirtless ninja as her voice carried throughout the whole airship. "It's like she thinks Vacuo isn't a lawless shithole, Mistral isn't a spark away from a civil war, the White Fang aren't terrorists, and Zaun doesn't encourage human modification."

Yang's blunt statement got a better reception than Goodwitch's. With several students giving soft grins and chortles, most giving the blonde a nod for her honesty. Only the bow wearing ninja and mohawk teen sent glares in her direction.

The rest of the bullhead ride went without much fanfare. Yang had returned to ogling the shirtless ninja, Ruby had continued staring at everyone's weapons, and vomit boy continued to hurl chunks in the bathroom until at long last, the airship arrived at Beacon academy.

"We're finally here, Beacon Academy, our new home." Ruby said cheerfully as she and Yang walked off the airship, taking in the front plaza of Beacon Academy.

"Yeah, a perfect place to meet new people and make new friends." Yang agreed, hers eyes following the students who had left the airship ahead of them.

"Who needs new people, I've got you Yang, we can be on the same team, and it'll be great!" Ruby said, slightly apprehensive, she didn't like the glint in her sister's eyes.

"Well, I would stay but, ohlookthehotguygottagobye." And with a few rushed words, Yang sprinted ahead into Beacon and left Ruby dazed and alone in the courtyard.

"Well that happened." Ruby said with a sighed and made to walk forward, only to have a luggage cart smack into her side and send both her and the cart tumbling to the ground, spilling the many white suitcases across the ground.

"Watch where you're going you klutz!" A sharp voice yelled as Ruby picked herself up off the ground, slightly dazed but uninjured thanks to her aura.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Do you know what's in these cases? Dust! High-grade, explosive dust from the Schnee quarries and worth more than you are." After being interrupted, Ruby finally was face to face with the luggage's owner. A rather irate white-haired, pale skinned girl with a small scar going through her left eye. And she was yelling and waving an open vial of fire dust in Ruby's face.

"Is any of this getting to you, or are you just braindead." As the girl yelled, she continued to shake the dust in Ruby's face, and the dust spilled a little right under the younger girl's nose.

"ACHOO!"

Ruby's sneeze did more than cut off the angry girl, it also detonated the dust vial she had been waving around like a glowstick.

While neither girl was injured, thanks to their aura, both were covered in a thin layer of soot, which appeared to frustrate the white themed girl even further.

"And now look what you've done, you could have blown us right off the cliff you idiot. And how old are you anyway, you look awfully young to have been accepted into Beacon." The girl continued as Ruby brushed the soot off of herself, taking in the many criticisms the white themed girl had for her.

"I said I was sorry, you were the one waving the dust in my face…" Ruby started, only to but cut off once again by the girl.

"Do you even know who I am?" She asked before a new voice cut her off from ranting even longer.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company, the largest provider of dust on Remnant." The ninja girl with the black bow cut in, taking in the scene.

"Finally some recognition." Weiss said, before turning back to Ruby, not knowing the ninja wasn't done with her yet.

"Also known for their horrible working conditions, questionable business partners, and being the most racist company on all of Remnant." she finished, smirking as blood vessel was popping up on Weiss's forehead.

At this point Ruby didn't know what to say and do besides be grateful that Weiss's ire wasn't focused on her any longer.

"I'll have you know…" Weiss started, only to be cut off as an armored hand landed on her shoulder.

"Weiss chill, or did you forget that we have to get all our stuff inside?" A blonde haired girl in light armor and a midsize staff on her back said as she walked gently pulled Weiss away from the bow wearing girl, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry about her, she gets testy after flying, and has a bit of a trigger temper at times. I'm Luxanna Crownguard, but you can just call me Lux." She introduced herself, keeping Weiss from getting another angry word in.

"Whatever." The bow-wearing girl scoffed and wandered off, disdain emanating from both her tone and posture as she left the other three.

"Hi, I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose, nice to meet you." Ruby greeted Lux, a slightly nervous smile on her face, still recovering from Weiss's dressing down.

"Nice to meet too Ruby, but we should probably all get moving, we're supposed to be meeting in the auditorium soon." And with that, Lux steered the still fuming Weiss away from Ruby, a worker dressed in the same white as the Schnee walking behind them with luggage.

"Sorry again!" Ruby called after the duo, who didn't even acknowledge that they had heard her. "Welcome to Beacon…" Ruby mumbled, staring at the large school the other students were slowly filtering their way into.

"Uh, hi, ...I'm Jaune." A voice greeted from behind Ruby, drawing a small squeak of surprise from the crimson reaper, who spun around quickly and found herself face to face with one of the blonde guys from the airship. He wore light armor and had a hand-and-a-half sword hanging in a heavy sheath on his side.

"Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" In her surprise, Ruby just said the first thing that jumped into her head, which drew a groan from the blonde.

"I'll have you know motion sickness is a very serious problem that many people suffer from these days." Juane defended rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Both teens began the walk towards Beacon as introductions were made.

"Sorry, it's just, Vomit Boy was the first thing that popped into my mind. Oh, and I'm Ruby." Ruby added as an afterthought.

"Well at least I wasn't the one setting off explosions in the courtyard." Jaune countered, an easy grin falling onto his face, clearly much more comfortable now that introductions were out of the way.

"That Weiss girl was waving an entire vial of fire dust in my face, not my fault I sneezed on it." Ruby protested, drawing a laugh from Jaune before the duo fell into an awkward silence.

"So...I've got this." Ruby said, letting Crescent Rose transform into full scythe mode as she drew it off her back in a practiced motion.

"Wow, that's impressive." Jaune said, looking over the large red scythe with an impressed look in his eyes. "All I've got are these." he added, drawing his sword from its sheath and lifting the sheath itself, which popped open and formed a shield.

While the sheath shield was cool, Ruby thought, the sword is what grabbed her interest. Faster than Juane could track, she had put away her own weapon and snatched the sword from Juane's hands, running her dainty but experienced fingers over the weapon's blade, looking intently at the forge marks that only an expert weapon craftsman would see.

"Where did you get this?" Ruby asked Juane intensely, her eyes still examining every aspect of the sword.

"It was my great-great grandfather's, he fought with it during the last great war…" Juane started, but was once again cut off by the weapon crazed reaper.

"High ranking I'd bet, to get his hands on a sword of this quality. Only six of these were ever made." Ruby was muttering to herself as she examined the sword, further freaking out the now thoroughly confused blonde.

"Um, he told me it was called…"

"Crocea Mors, right, which means your last name is Arc." Ruby finished for him, finally tearing her eyes away from the sword and giving it a few test swings.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Juane asked, still watching the short girl examine his sword…..not like that.

"The Mors blades were a set of six, one for each of the six main colors of the rainbow. Rubrum Mors, Aurantiaco Mors, Crocea Mors, Viridi Mors, Caeruleum Mors, Purpura Mors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple death respectively. The blades were crafted by an unknown smith and then presented to the six best fighters at the time, on both sides of the war. The blue, orange, and purple blades were all confirmed as destroyed during the war. The red is an artifact in Menagerie as the only one of the six to be wielded by a faunus, and my mentor is currently in possession of the green. Meaning this is Crocea Mors, the yellow death, the sword presented the the Arc family patriarch at the time." Ruby rambled off weapon facts with a surety Juane hadn't seen in his conversation with Ruby before. She then offered the blade back to Juane handle first.

Quickly sheathing the blade Juane couldn't help but gape in awe at Ruby's knowledge of his weapon, facts even he had been unaware of.

"How could you tell though, Crocea Mors just looks like an ordinary sword to me." Juane asked as the duo neared the front doors of Beacon, only the green masked ninja girl from the airship trailing behind them.

"It may look that way, but it's all in the balde. If you look close enough at the blade, you can see the almost completely overlapping ripple marks. The defining trait of the six Mors blades was their forging. They are crafted out of one the heaviest metals known to Remnant. Usually unforgeable except for in large sheets used in bullhead and battleship construction. The only time you see it in weapons is if the metal was cut out of a sheet and welded together, and while that works, the welding is weak compared to the rest of the weapon and the damage the weapon takes there makes them more fragile than most weapons so most people don't bother." Ruby explained as they reached the doors.

"Wow, so that's why it's so heavy, it's made of some fancy metal?" Juane asked

"Yup, all the hardness of Tungsten, the weight of lead, and the durability of titanium. But it gets even better. All those layers of metal forged into the swords, which should be impossible, means there is more metal is the sword than there should be, which means more material for aura to enhance when you send it into the blade. The only person alive who can fold metal like that now is my mentor and he's still only half as effective as the forger of the Mors blades." Ruby explained, her eyes not on Jaune, but rather picturing all the weapons she could make if she could forge that well.

"So how did half of them get broken?" Juane asked, not even seeing how such powerful blades could break.

"Fighting each other." Ruby's answer was quiet, but still audible. "The wielder of the red killed the purple, orange was killed by green, and blue was killed by the wielder of the yellow." Ruby said, nodding to the sword in Juane's grip. "Only when two warriors of great power and skill clashed their ideals through their blades, could the swords be broken, alongside the ideals of their wielders, or so the stories go. As powerful as they still are, not many care for blades like the Mors blades anymore. And as cool as shifting weapons are, they came from blades like the Mors. The classics I guess." Ruby said, tracing the shrunken form of her own weapon underneath her crimson red cloak.

"I had no idea, any of that. My grandfather just gave me the sword before I left for Beacon, I haven't even gotten to use it yet." Juane admitted, his thoughts much more on his sword than before, as well as what he knew of his own family history.

"Well I hope it doesn't take you too long to adapt then, I've heard how fierce the combat classes are here, wouldn't want my new friend getting beat up too bad." Ruby said as the two entered the auditorium.

"Ruby over here! I saved you a seat." Yang's voice called across the auditorium as the duo entered.

"Oh, that's my sister, see you later Juane." And with that Ruby dashed away from Juane, who was left all alone in the doorway.

"Aw, where else am I going to find a quirky weapon enthusiast girl." Juane complained, not noticing the blue haired girl walking and smirking behind him.

"Yang! I can't believe you left me." Ruby complained when she reached her sister's seat in the large and mostly empty auditorium.

"Come on Ruby, it can't have been too bad. You were talking with Vomit Boy over there." Yang jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Juane, who Ruby could see was having a rocket launcher pointed in his face by the blue haired girl. He'd be fine...probably.

"Yeah, but before that I exploded."

"Meltdown already? Thought it would take a few weeks before we saw our first one of those." Yang said, eyes trailing from her sister to sweep the room occasionally.

"No, she means an actual dust explosion." A new voice said from behind them. The sisters turned around to see the blonde with a gauntlet sitting behind them, his feet propped up on the seat to Yang's left.

"Wait seriously?" Yang asked, looking between her fellow blonde and her sister.

"Yeah, only fire dust thankfully and only a vial of it." Ruby said, her attention focused on the blonde's gauntlet. Not that she was closer to him, Ruby could see that there were no clear forge marks on the weapon. No hammer marks, no welding strips, nothing. Even the detail work just seemed to be a part of the metal, which she still couldn't recognize. Before she could ask however, the blonde spoke again.

"Indeed, and I was beaten out by my fellow blonde in aiding the fair maiden, forgive me oh sweet one." The blonde gave a bow of his head and took Ruby's hand and kissed the back of it, turning the reaper's face the same color as her gauntlet. Next to her, Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I am Ezreal Lymere, known throughout the lands as the Prodigal Explorer." Ezreal introduced himself, getting an impressed look from the sisters. To have a title this young was impressive, most who earned them were in their mid-twenties at the youngest. "Allow me to make up for my blunder, oh sweet rose, by accompanying me on a date this weekend." Ezreal continued talking to the blushing and stuttering Ruby.

"Um...uh….er...you see…" Ruby tried to come up with an answer, but Yang cut her sister off.

"Look here buddy." Yang started, grabbing Ezreal's hand off of Ruby's own. "Flirting is nice and all, but this is my baby sister, so go try someone else." Yang said, getting a sigh of relief from Ruby.

"Oh, such protectiveness." Ezreal said, now taking Yang's hand instead of Ruby's. "How would you like to accompany me then, I'm sure we could find something much spicier to do than a simple date. I'm always open to new ideas." Ezreal flirted.

Yang just raised an eyebrow, reached over the chair with her other hand, and socked the self-proclaimed explorer in the nuts.

The breathe left the boy's lungs as he fell off his chair and onto the floor, curled up and whimpering in pain. "Why." He managed to get out, his voice an octave higher than it was before.

"Try again later playboy, maybe NOT right after flirting with my sister in front of me." Yang muttered to Ezreal, her tone drawing another flinch from the grounded boy.

"Typical airheaded prettyboy." A voice from the row behind Ezreal said, drawing Yang and Ruby's attention off of the groaning boy who was slowly crawling away from the sisters, and onto the mohawked boy from the airship, still fiddling with a small circular device, his eyes never leaving his work even as he spoke.

Now that she was closer, Ruby could see his weapons better. Both the canister and blade has soft layers of wear to them and the metal was mismatched in places. She was right about the gravity dust, picking up on the telltale hum it gave off when active coming from the boy's canister, which Ruby guessed was a power source for something, and she could make out the fair purple glow coming from cracks in his blade's hilt, where the dust must have been inserted into the weapon. Unlike most gravity dust based weapons though, both were glowing a soft sea green instead of purple. Ruby knew color-change in dust science meant a type change, but how and why gravity dust would be used, and what it could even be changed into was beyond her. It wasn't even something her mentor had mentioned, and he used gravity dust frequently in his main weapon.

"And you could do better?" Yang challenged the boy, her eyes more on his facial tattoo than his weapons like her sister.

"I know better than to try." He corrected, still fiddling with the tech in his hands.

"What are you working on, I can see the explosive chain elements and dust slots, but you are positioning those gears in a web matrix which doesn't work if you're going for an elemental release grenade." Ruby asked, her eyes following each motion the boy was making as he worked on his device.

For the first time since they began talking, the boy looked up from his work and his fingers paused in their fidgeting. He examined both girls with critical dark eyes that Ruby swore sparked the same green as his weapons for a brief second. After a long second, he let out an exhale and let the tension fall from his frame, tossing the grenade he was fiddling with from one hand to the other.

"You would be right if I was going for elemental release, but I'm going for something a bit different. I'm going for optimal release spread of shrapnel at detonation, the dust is for propulsion, amongst other things." he answered showing Ruby one of the sharpened gears he had been working on.

"How can you tell without trial and error? Testing multiple grenades with different build patterns to check for coverage on targets?" Ruby asked, already seeing in her head how the grenade was supposed to function once fire dust was added for ignition.

"Who said I'm not." he challenged, a smirk on his face.

Before Ruby could question him further, Yang cut in.

"Ok weapon nut, how about you stop with the fancy tech talk and give actual introductions." Yang said, rolling her eyes at the duo of craftsmen.

"Oh right, I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced herself with a smile.

"Ekko." the boy responded, pocketing the grenade and loose gears he was still working with. "Anyone who can recognize the exact elements of an advanced dust grenade and deduce what I'm doing with it all with just a glance would make for a good forge spotter, we should work together sometime. We can talk more about that later though, I think Ozpin is about to talk." Ekko said, pointing up at the stage in front of the girls as a screen lowered and Headmaster Ozpin appeared on the screen, holding a cup of coffee.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With his piece said, the screen switched from Ozpin to Goodwitch, who wore the same stern expression she wore in the hologram on the airship.

"I too will be brief. In the morning, you will all be tested and placed into teams. You will all be sleeping in this ball room, and I will have no fighting or funny business happening. Take tonight to get to know one another and prepare yourselves for what is to come." And then the screen flickered off, leaving twenty assorted teens alone for the night.

"Well, he seemed...off" Yang said, thinking back to Ozpin's words.

"Yeah, he is a little weird, but it's because of him that I'm here so he's not all bad." Ruby agreed, turning back to Ekko to resume their conversation, only to see he was being dragged across the room by the blue haired girl.

"I wonder if they know each other, I mean, they're clearly the only two from Zaun here." Yang wondered, once again surveying the room.

"Maybe, do you recognize anyone else here from Signal?" Ruby asked, not recognizing any herself.

"The jerk squad in the corner. Cardin, Russel, Dove and Sky. Assholes, all four of them. Decent enough in combat, but no one I'd want on my team. Aside from them though, I don't recognize anyone else from Signal, which is rare, usually ten of the twenty who get into Beacon each year are from Signal. Must have been a lot of great fighters coming from other kingdoms. I'm guessing at least five and six of them are from Mistral and just wanted to get away from the fighting." Yang said, nodding at the dust enchantress and black and pink haired boy, both of which were dressed in traditional Mistralian outfits.

"Probably, I just don't understand how they can argue and fight with each other so much when there are grimm out there." Ruby said, thinking over what she knew of the situation in Mistral.

"Enough of this sad talk, let's go meet some people, hot and shirtless has been ignoring me so far but that's not gonna last forever." Yang said with a cheer as she dragged her sister into the small crowd of people.

Getting Ruby to socialize was like pulling teeth, Yang thought to herself. Either she was building weapons with her mentor, or she was using them with their uncle. Ruby already made a good start with Ekko and the blonde from earlier, although she needed help with Ezreal, but there were 14 other people to meet, and Yang was going to throw Ruby in headfirst. What could possibly go wrong.

**Ok, wow, that took a sec. Originally I was going to go to the start of initiation, but this felt like a good natural break-point. In case you couldn't tell, I'm expanding and changing a few RWBY character's backstories. Juane isn't going to be completely useless, just mostly, and Ruby is going to put her weapon obsession to good use. Her mentor will be revealed later, but it is an important plot point, even if it is fairly obvious. **

**So far Ekko is the hardest to write, but I have a feeling that might switch to Kayn once I go deeper into him. Next chapter will get either all the way through the initiation or maybe only halfway, not sure. Any thoughts on team ideas would be awesome, I have a basic plan in place, but if anyone can argue for one team or another, I might change it up. **

**I got half a chapter for Trickster written and I'm hoping to get that finished and posted, along with chapter five, this Fourth of July weekend. **

**So as always, Happy Reading -Centurion Africanus.**


End file.
